Supervisory Security Specialist

GSA, Office of Mission Assurance

Washington, DCFull-time$122–158K/yrPosted today

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At a glance

Compensation
$122–158K/yr
Location
Washington, DC
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Public Trust clearance

Job overview

The Supervisory Security Specialist serves as the primary technical advisor on agency personnel security policies at GSA’s Office of Mission Assurance in Washington, D.C. The role leads policy development, complex security adjudications, background investigations, continuous vetting, and program improvement. It also directs daily team operations, sets technical standards, coaches staff, and oversees the quality of security decisions and deliverables.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Personnel Security OperationsPolicy ImplementationBackground AdjudicationContinuous VettingProgram MetricsWorkflow ImprovementTechnical GuidanceProgram Resource ManagementOral CommunicationInterpersonal SkillsProblem SolvingDecision MakingCustomer ServiceLeadershipPlanning and EvaluatingInfluencing and NegotiatingStrategic ThinkingHuman Capital Management

Qualifications

One Year Specialized ExperienceTier 5 Background InvestigationPolitical Appointee DisclosureNegative Drug Test

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Paid Time Off
401(k) Match
Tuition Assistance

Full job description

Summary

As a Supervisory Security Specialist, you will serve as the primary technical advisor and Subject Matter Expert (SME) on agency personnel security policies. Location of position: GSA, Office of Mission Assurance, Washington, D.C. We are currently filling one vacancy, but additional vacancies may be filled as needed.

Duties

Serves as the primary technical advisor and Subject Matter Expert (SME) on agency personnel security policies. Analyzes federal legislation, Executive Orders, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidelines, and national security directives to formulate policies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), while leading strategic initiatives and managing program communications. Performs senior reviews and secondary oversight on complex, high-visibility security cases with significant derogatory information. Evaluates reports and evidence to determine national security risk, public trust suitability, and employment eligibility. Manages and adjudicates background investigations, and prepares technical reports, legal summaries, and adjudicative memos on sensitive agency security issues. Leads background investigations, reciprocity determinations, and Trusted Workforce implementation. Maintains 100% RapBack and Continuous Vetting enrollment for all covered personnel, resolves Continuous Vetting alerts and investigative referrals, and optimizes workflows for initial reviews, monitoring, and reinvestigations. Analyzes threat intelligence and risk data regarding loyalty, foreign influence, insider threats, and criminal activity. Applies qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate program metrics, monitor milestones, and implement continuous quality improvements and standardized operational workflows agency-wide. Directs, plans, assigns, and reviews daily team operations to balance workloads. Sets standards, coaches staff on technical and adjudicative decisions, addresses development needs, resolves issues, and ensures high-quality deliverables. Requirements

If selected, you must meet the following conditions: Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non­Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service. Serve a one year probationary period, if required. Undergo and pass a background investigation (Tier 5 investigation level). You must be granted this clearance before you can start the job. Have your identity and work status eligibility verified if you are not a GSA employee. We will use the Department of Homeland Security's e-Verify system for this. Any discrepancies must be resolved as a condition of continued employment. Serve a one year supervisory or managerial probationary period, if required. Any applicant tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Appointment to the position will be contingent upon a negative drug test result. Qualifications

To evaluate your qualifications, your resume must clearly demonstrate how you meet the specialized experience described below. Your resume must not exceed two pages. To ensure your qualifications can be fully evaluated, we recommend including the following information: Name, address, telephone number, email address; Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade); Relevant work experience—should include employer name, job title, start and end dates (month/year), the number of hours worked per week and descriptions that explain how you meet the required qualifications in the job announcement. Education, certifications or licensures—If the job announcement requires any education, certifications or licensures, make sure to include the required information and any required documents like transcripts. Your resume should contain enough information to make a valid determination that you fully meet experience requirements for each grade level you are applying to. If you do not provide enough information for us to determine your qualifications, you may be rated ineligible. If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume. The GS-13 salary range starts at $121,785 per year. If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected. To qualify, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level or higher in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience executing personnel security operations, implementing agency-level policies in accordance with federal statutes and executive orders, and conducting complex background adjudications. This includes maintaining continuous vetting frameworks, applying program metrics to improve operational workflows, and delivering technical guidance while managing assigned program resources.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), and responses you provide on the application questionnaire. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. You will not be considered for the position if you fail to complete the assessment. You will be assessed on the following competencies: Oral Communication, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, Decision Making, Customer Service, Leadership, Planning & Evaluating, Influencing/Negotiating, Strategic Thinking, Human Capital Management. Additional hurdle assessments, such as narrative responses or other assessments, may be administered to applicants who meet the requirements of the first hurdle. If additional assessments are used, you will be provided with further instructions. Consideration will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3). You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume so that information will be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. If you are eligible under Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan or GSA's Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP/CTAP), you must receive a score of 85 or higher to receive priority. You may preview questions for this vacancy. Benefits

You will have access to many benefits including: Health insurance (choose from a wide range of plans) Life insurance coverage with several options Sick leave and vacation time, including 11 paid holidays per year Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401(k) plan) Transit and child care subsidies Flexible spending accounts Long-term care insurance Training and development Other Information

Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin. Applicants are encouraged to make their resume searchable in their USAJOBS.gov profile. This will allow Federal hiring specialists and hiring managers across agencies to find their resume as part of agency recruitment campaigns or staffing searches. If you apply to this position and are selected, we will not ask about your criminal history before you receive a conditional job offer. If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, contact the agency or visit GSA's webpage. Relocation-related expenses are not approved and will be your responsibility. On a case-by-case basis, the following incentives may be approved: · Credit toward vacation leave if you are new to the federal government Additional vacancies may be filled through this announcement in this or other GSA organizations within the same commuting area as needed; through other means; or not at all.

How this job compares

Set against the 592 open Security Specialist jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 4, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$122–158K/yr
  • Washington, D.C. median$105–158K/yr23 salary ranges
  • US median$81–116K/yr334 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $140K, is close to the Washington, D.C. median midpoint ($140K) — in the middle half of Security Specialist salary ranges in Washington, D.C..

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 34 open Security Specialist jobs in Washington, D.C. and 592 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Washington, D.C.
Experience
This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience; Security Specialist postings that state a minimum ask for 4 years at the median (388 postings).
Education
103 of the 592 open Security Specialist jobs (17%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 4, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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